Email: cjobet@inia.cl

MONARKA INIA is a new winter wheat variety (Triticum aestivum L.) developed by the Wheat Breeding Program of INIA Carillanca (38°50'S and 72°25'W) at the Araucanía Region. This variety was selected from a nursery received from the NordSaat of Germany, which arrived in 2015.

Due to its performance and agronomic characteristics, was selected among many other lines and was evaluated in a preliminary winter yield trial during 2016/17. Subsequently was included in the elite winter wheat yield trial since 2017/18, which was sown in different locations in southern Chile, from Chillán (36°31'S/71°54'W) to Purranque (40°51'S/73°09'W).

Monarka-INIA, in average outperformed, in all locations, compared with the INIA´s control varieties Maxwell, Rocky-INIA and Kiron-INIA. It was similar to Chevignon, a European cultivar belongs to ASUR Plant Breeding, which is currently the most sown variety in France. The yield of Monarka-INIA in average of all locations and for all evaluated years was 12.7% higher than Maxwell; 14.5% higher than Rocky-INIA and 13.6% higher than Kiron-INIA.

Compared with Chevignon, Monarka-INIA yielded in average 2.7% higher than Chevignon, with not significant statistically differences. Monarka-INIA has a good hectoliter weight (over 82.5 kg/hL-1) and a hard grain texture. It has a protein percentage over 9,0%, a sedimentation volume over 38 ml, and a wet gluten content of 26%, classifying it in the category of medium type wheat (NCh 1237-2000).

In average its alveographic characteristics (rheological parameters) are good, with a work value W of 222.5, adequate resistance to stretching (120.2), a dough extensibility (L) equal to 49.0. Its mass toughness (P/L ratio) is slightly above 2.0, which may require the use of ingredients that improve extensibility.

The other outstanding characteristic of this variety is the color of its flour, which is white, and therefore, more accepted by the milling industry where this characteristic is increasingly demanded.